Blank Space
by scarlettstones
Summary: Bella works as an editor for the love & relationships column at a magazine and starts a series of social experiments that requires her to date various types of men. After her second 'social experiment' relationship, she meets Edward, a player who loves a good game. Will their relationship just be another experiment or will they find forever? Inspired by Taylor Swift's Blank Space.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: It seems like I can never run out of ideas, because this just turned up. I was actually planning for it to be just a one-shot in my compilation of Taylor Swift-inspired one-shots, but this one just appealed to me as a long, full story. I love Taylor, and I love the music video for the song _Blank Space_. Creepy Taylor finally becoming a reality. Sigh. I don't know how long I've waited for that side of Taylor as a swiftie.**

**xx**

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><p><em>"Nice<em>_ to meet you, where you been? I could show you incredible things."_

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><p>The office was buzzing all around, and it was obvious about what everyone was talking about.<p>

I came into the office in the early morning, donned in a silver sleeveless Gucci shift dress and a pair of black Louboutin high-heeled boots. My brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail as I heard the latest gossip that everyone was whispering about. Every week or every day, if we're lucky, we'd always get the latest updates on some of the editors' lives, whether it'd be a matter at work or in Bloomingdale's, everyone would know.

Unfortunately, today's topic was about me and my breakup with my newest ex, Jacob Black.

"I heard that Bella broke up with her ex because he said she was being overbearing. He landed in the hospital because she apparently stabbed his arm with a knife."

"No, that's not what I heard! I heard that she cut his balls in the middle of the night when they broke up. The doctors said that they couldn't be sewn back together."

"Bella whacked his fingers with a huge hammer— I'm not kidding!"

I approached the office cubicles and stood over the short walls that separated everyone. Someone caught sight of me as I stared at every single one of them and the hushed sounds of whispers turned into complete silence with everyone's eyes on me.

"Hey guys, I have a secret and I'd like to share it with you all. Would that be okay?" I said out loud so that everyone could hear. Nobody replied, fear evident on their faces. "I can predict the future, and I see that in tonight's news, the office cubicles of _Marie Claire_ will be vacated for a few weeks. Why? Because everyone working there will be hanging upside down on the Empire State Building. If you all could zip your mouths about me until your next wave of gossip comes, I think that I can prevent that from happening. I'll see you all at the next meeting in three hours. Make your hours productive, please."

I then continued my walk to my corner office where there was a nameplate on my door; _Isabella Swan, Columnist & Editor._

I was 25 years old with a budding career ahead of me. Being an editor at my age was already an accomplishment many couldn't get, but it also gave me an extra load of work that I had to involve it with my personal life. Like anything that couldn't have been worse, I was in charge of the _Love, Sex & Relationships_ column. It was time to write about my recent breakup and what I had learnt from it.

Our relationship was never really a real one, to say the least. Nowadays, when it came to dating, it'd be more of a social experiment to me. So far, I had dated different types of men— the ones that really couldn't be bothered at all & the ones that were utterly invested in the relationship. Jacob fell into the latter.

He said that he was looking to settle down but he didn't feel like we weren't compatible. I was surprised that he'd made it this far— I had a sort of game to see how men would react; I'd be their perfect girl then after a month, I'd show my true personality. It was an experience that would have helped me a lot if I hadn't invested so much of my work into my love life. Without the 'social experiment' relationships, I'd say that I'd only had two actual boyfriends, and they were all back in high school.

The fact that Jacob did land in hospital after we broke up was true, but it wasn't really all weird as my coworkers had put it. The night after we broke up, I thought that I heard a burglar in my living room. I just took a cooking pan and saw a figure there then whacked it in the head. When I heard a familiar groan, I flicked on the lights and saw that it was— surprise, surprise— Jacob.

He just came in the middle of the night to grab some of his things that he had left over at my house and didn't really want to wake me up. Too bad his plan failed. I called an ambulance since his head started bleeding.

I entered my office and placed my Valentino bag on my desk, taking a seat into my leather chair. I sighed and booted up my laptop. Opening a new document on my the Microsoft Word page, I wrote over the heading;

_Social Experiment 2: The Very-Much Involved Boyfriend._

xx

"Bella, you are probably the weirdest person I know." Alice, my best friend ever since college, said as she handed me the cocktail that I asked her to bring to me. "I can't ever go to you for dating advice."

We were at a club and we were having one of our weekly girls' night outs, but I wasn't just here because of that.

I frowned at her statement. "Why? You can _always_ come to me for that. I'm in charge of the relationship column of the magazine, for Christ's sake—"

"No, I can't!" She exclaimed. "You treat everything like a game, including your relationships. They're actually quite shallow."

"I _loved_ my exes! I loved every single one of them—"

"Then after a month you turn into the actual you, which is when you become the overbearing girlfriend and go berserk." She finished for me. "You and your social experiments— I swear, I can't take it anymore. It's like your life is a job! You let your job _take over_ your life!"

I took a sip of my cosmopolitan. "I know that."

She sighed in exasperation and folded her arms. "What the hell are we even doing here when we could have gone to a bar?"

I looked around the club for something. "I am fishing."

Alice groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Not _again_."

"I haven't had that much fun in a while, even with Jacob. If my next guy turns out to be my forever, then I can actually settle down." I shrugged.

"You're twenty-five this year and you're talking about your future lab rat being your husband." She looked at me incredulously.

"It's never too early." I told her. I looked around the place again and my eyes transfixed on the entrance of the club.

A man with messy bronze hair and burning green eyes just walked through the door, with a strong sharp jawline and pale complexion. He looked to be in his late twenties, and I couldn't deny that he was beautiful. He was wearing an Armani suit and he had a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. He had money, too.

And he was coming our way.

"Oh my god, look at that face," I tugged at Alice's arm as I stared at him.

Target spotted.

"Bella, honestly, please don't ruin yourself over this—"

"Can I get any of you ladies a drink?" A smooth, velvet voice asked, interrupting Alice's sentence. My lips had already spread into a wide smile when I saw that it was him.

"Oh yes, sure." I replied.

Alice rolled her eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow. Text me." She said to me before kissing my cheek and taking off.

The man took her seat and ordered for himself a glass of whiskey and another glass of cosmopolitan for me. I thanked him and finished up my first drink.

"I'm Edward," he introduced himself.

"Bella," I replied.

"Why did your friend go?" He asked.

"Well, it was actually a girls' night out, but she had someplace else to go for the night so she decided to just have a drink and take off." I lied smoothly.

I heard a cellphone beeped and Edward stiffened, then gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I'll have to check something." He said, then took out his phone. With just one glance, I saw a woman's name on it. I smirked.

I hadn't experimented with players before. It'd be the first time, and I was eager at the thought of that. I'd just have to see how long they could be faithful— and why they couldn't stick to one girl at a time. I knew that my next article was definitely going to be something.

I continued drinking my second glass and he had finally put away his phone. He gave me his full attention and I raised my eyebrows in question.

"It was just my sister." He lied smoothly. "So what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an editor for _Marie Claire_." I told him. "How about you?"

"I actually also am an editor for a magazine." He said. "I write for _Time_."

The fact that this guy was also an editor made me a little stunned. I kept my emotions on the inside as I just nodded.

"Oh, a reputable magazine," I smiled.

"I usually have to go wherever the person I'm interviewing is. You know, I've interviewed countless important people, even when I was just starting. I think that you're probably one of the most important people I've ever met." He gave me a charismatic crooked smile that I was sure girls would quickly fall for.

"What?" I laughed. "Why?"

"You sure are something, and I want to take you out some time. Here's my number," he took out his wallet and handed me his business card which had the _Time_ logo at the corner. How slick.

"Alright, then," I kept it in my purse and handed him my business card too.

He smirked when he saw the _Marie Claire_ logo at the corner. "I'll keep this. Let's see who calls first, shall we?"

"Definitely." I said.

"I gotta go now. I have somewhere to be and I never really planned on meeting you here for the first time." He stood up and I did too.

"Sure you didn't." I hid a smug look on my face.

I quickly made a move on him, putting my hand on the back of his neck to pull him closer. He didn't expect me to do that, but he just went along with it, just like what a normal player would do. Too bad he was the one playing _my_ game.

He lowered his face down to mine slowly, but all that I gave him was one swift brush across his lips with mine and pulled back, sitting down again on the stool. I gave him a pleasant smile as he looked at me with a stunned look. That was going to make him remember me throughout the line of girls he's had.

"I'll see you soon." I told him.

"I... I think I will." He gave a short smile after recovering from the almost-kiss before he walked away. I saw him throw seductive smiles at the various girls around the club.

"Oh honey, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into." I smirked before taking a sip of my drink.

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><p><strong>AN: So what do you guys think? Boring? Exciting? Leave your comments below. The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update. Maybe.**

**xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So this is kind of a short chapter, and a filler. Well, kind of. Thanks so much for all the reviews! You guys are too kind.**

**xx**

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><p><em>"Magic,<em>_ madness, heaven, sin. Saw you there and I thought, 'Oh my god, look at that face! You look like my next mistake. Love's a game, wanna play?'"_

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><p>The next morning was very eventful.<p>

I came into the office in a tan sleeveless Burberry lace dress that ended right above the knee and a simple Cartier bracelet snapped onto my right wrist. My shoes were a pair of white Badgely Mischka 5-inch peep toe heels and I held a black Longchamp bag.

My coworkers along the office cubicles went silent when they saw me walk past them. I didn't look at them, but I felt weird under their gaze. The next wave of gossip here couldn't have been about me again, could it? I walked faster to my office and found a tall stack of packages in front of my door. I stared in bewilderment.

"Mary!" I shouted, my voice loud enough for everyone in the Marie Claire office to hear as I called out for the main receptionist.

I heard shuffles and someone ran to my side. "Yes?" She timidly asked.

Mary was a short and petite girl with long black hair and brown eyes who was younger than me. She looked at me with a glimmer of fright in her eyes.

"What is the meaning of _this_?" I waved my hand at the packages. "I never went online shopping and if I do, I'd never send them to the office. How can something that I never requested for can get past you? You're supposed to keep track of everything that comes and goes out of the office, aren't you?"

"Those are gifts," she responded, stuttering and not daring to look me in the eye.

"Gifts? From who?"

"There was someone who called the office and told me that they were going to be sent to you. I believe that his name was, ah, Mr. Cullen."

"Who the fuck is Cullen?" I demanded. "First name, please."

"Uh, Edward?"

Something in me clicked. Of course. He'd want me to call _first_.

I groaned. "Jesus Christ, he is such a manipulative and cunning son of a bitch." I looked back at Mary. "You're not in trouble and I don't blame you, although there is something I need you to do for me."

"What is it?"

"Call Edward and say that it was a clever move, but I still won't call him."

She nodded. "Yes, Miss Swan." She scuttled back to the front desk and I folded my arms, sighing. I opened my door first, then carefully pushed everything inside my office. Seemed like I was going to keep busy with my new items.

xx

I had always loved receiving lavish gifts on any day, but this one had me feeling both anger and joy— anger because Edward thought I would call him to thank him for the gifts, and joy because I finally got two bracelets from Tiffany & Co.'s _T_ collection. I loved the diamonds encrusted on them. Oh well, there was always something good to go with the bad I guess.

The gifts kept on coming in, even after that tall stack of them that I encountered when I first arrived at my office. From handbags to coats to jewelry, it was obvious that he was never going to stop sending the gifts. It was a nice thing, really, but I didn't think that sending it would be a nice and appropriate thing to do in the office.

I went up to the front desk and borrowed the landline there, since I didn't want to call from my own office number or my cellphone. Then that would have meant that he would win.

"Hello?" His smooth velvet voice came through the speaker and I couldn't remember what I was about to do for a second.

"Edward Cullen, what do I have to do to stop you from sending presents to my office for the rest of my time here?" I gritted my teeth.

"You know how."

"You're an _editor_, for Christ's sake. Don't you have _actual_ work to do? I do, and these gifts you're sending are distracting."

"Did you enjoy the vintage Chanel furcoat I sent?"

My eyes widened. "Wait, a vintage Chanel furcoat? I haven't opened up all the packages yet— Wait a minute, you had me there for a second." I rolled my eyes. "Smart move, Cullen. Smart move."

He chuckled, his laugh doing things to my body. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. "We're going by last name-basis, now? Well tell you what, _Swan_, that latest package coming through the door will be your last one. I've stopped. Deal?"

"Deal, although I do need to look for that Chanel furcoat you were talking about."

"Alright, then look for it. I'm still expecting a call from your own phone."

"You'll get it nowhere near soon." I told him before I hung up.

xx

He lied.

He said so himself that there wasn't going to be anymore gifts, and he lied. I should have known better than to really trust his words. He had a persuasive element to him, disguised as charisma, but I knew it was stronger than that. If making women fall to their feet is a power, then he certainly had that.

I trudged up to the front desk again and dialed Edward's number.

"Hello?"

"You lied," I hissed.

"I apologize, then." Edward said, and I could hear him smirk through the phone. "How about we go into negotiations? I assure you that you've just received your last gift."

"Just how rich are you? I have probably more than fifteen gifts over the course of two hours." I asked, glancing around for anyone who was spying on me. "And all these gifts cost over a thousand each. They're distracting when I'm trying to write my next article."

"I'm _very_ rich, Bella and you should probably know that by now. Anyways, where do you want to go for dinner tonight?"

"You know, I never accepted any offer for dinner. No dinner."

"Then what do you suggest then?" Edward asked. "Don't dates consist of meals and wine?"

I scoffed. "You think. Clearly, you haven't been on many of them. Perhaps you don't date women because you only take them as one-night-stands, am I right?"

"That's how you think of me, then? A manwhore? A player?"

"You can't challenge what I just said, because you know that's the truth." I smirked.

"So what do you want to do on a date?"

"Anything you want, but wine and dine. I'm on a blood-type diet." I told him, since I planning to be the perfect girl that he could do anything with for a month, but I wouldn't let him do anything that easily after that. I wanted to see how long he could last. I was expecting him to not even last a month, since he had the habit of switching girls like clothes I couldn't fit at Saks Fifth Avenue. Speaking of exchanging clothes for the right size, I groaned inwardly. I forgot about that Carolina Herrera dress that I bought a week ago. Now it was looser than the last time I wore it, and thankfully it was in my office since I always brought an extra change of clothes.

"Okay. I'll pick you up from your office after work. How does that sound?" Edward asked.

"I have my car to bring back," I shook my head even if he couldn't see. "I can't do that."

He sighed in exasperation. "You're so complex."

I nodded, smiling a little. "How about we go Saks Fifth Avenue later for a while? I need to exchange something, then we can go wherever you want. I'll probably just… leave my car here in the office parking lot, then."

"I want you to wear that last gift I sent you. I hope I got your size right." He told me before hanging up.

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><p><strong>AN: So their first (kind of) date is next. Thoughts?**

**xx**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys, so I'm pretty tired from camp and I can't really think that straight, but I updated! Yay!**

**Someone said about how I don't need to keep on describing Bella's outfits, but I feel the need to. I usually do, and I think that how people dress shows how their personality is like. Anyways, that's what I think but... yeah. Okay, I'm off!**

**xx**

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><p><em>"New money, suit &amp; tie— I can read you like a magazine. Ain't it funny, rumors fly? And I know you've heard about me so hey, let's be friends! I'm dying to see how this one ends."<em>

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><p>I opened up Edward's last gift to me that revealed an ice blue dress with white lace over the color. It was collared and sleeveless, and ended above my knee as the skirt had a structure that went down like a slope. I knew which designer would have this type of cute dresses. I checked the label and I was right— Edward bought it off Alice + Olivia, and I was glad he did.<p>

It matched perfectly with my shoes, and I quickly changed in my office. That was probably one of those days I was glad I had a corner office since it was private and all I had to do was pull down the blinds. I just slid a bold red lipstick across my lips and I got a text message from Edward.

_I'm coming up to your office right now to pick you up._

My eyes widened and I texted him back;

_Are you crazy? Today's one of the magazine's craziest days and a lot are staying back to complete their assignments. I'm lucky that my work is done correctly for the day. Stay outside. I'll be out in a minute._

I looked at the gifts he gave me all at one corner of the office and sighed. I had to figure out a way to send those back to my home. I shook my head and went out of the office, locking my door when I felt somebody's arms creep around my waist and heavy breaths on my neck.

I sighed. I knew who it was. "I thought I told you to wait outside. How did you get in?" I asked without looking at his face.

I could hear him smirk. "I just asked for you and I got in. I see you've found that coat."

I groaned. "Oh god. Okay, can you please... get your hands off me?" I cringed.

When he complied, I heaved a sigh of relief and turned around, finding myself trapped between him and his body since his face was so close to mine. My eyes widened in shock as I leaned against the door.

"Edward, we're at my workplace. I think there are etiquettes when it comes to this." I told him.

He backed away a bit, giving me space. "Come on, let's go to Saks Fifth Avenue." He rolled his eyes and held out his hand to me.

I looked at him. Was he serious? I didn't think we knew enough about each other to hold hands. He looked back at me expectantly.

I let out a sigh. "This is probably the closest I will let you get to me physically." I placed my hand in his and he gripped it tightly. We went out of the office discreetly and he led me to his car which was much of a surprise to me when I saw that it was a silver Aston Martin One 77.

"Flashy," I commented, raising my eyebrows.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend I'm not the only person that likes to show off. What kind of car is yours?"

"It's a... black Pagani Huayra." I muttered in a low voice.

He frowned. "It's a what?"

"It's a Pagani Huayra." I quickly said a little louder.

"I didn't catch that."

I glared at him. "I'm not going to say anything about my car, okay? Yes, it's flashy. It's probably flashier than yours, so whatever. Can we please just go to Saks now?"

He smiled and opened up the passenger door for me. I slid into the car and he drove to my desired destination, where I found a size smaller for the dress I needed to exchange for. Edward was standing beside me for the whole time, and I couldn't help but observe him. His wandering eyes landed on one woman to another, his gaze lingering on their curves. He'd bite his lip slowly yet sexily and I just focused on my exchange with the salesperson in front of me.

When I finally got my dress, I had to move my hand up and down his arm to get his attention. He looked at me with an intense gaze and I almost flushed red with how he looked at me. I kept my cool and breathed out slowly. "So we're going now, right?" I asked.

He cleared his throat. "Uhm, yeah."

I smiled and walked in front of him, making sure I gave my hips a little extra sway to keep his attention from going elsewhere. I knew I had a pretty good figure since I work out three times a week at the gym, so I wasn't afraid to flaunt a little. I was attracting other people's attention too, and I didn't cower under their gaze like I would have had before I started working at the magazine.

When we reached the car, there was something unexpected that came out from Edward's mouth when he started up the engine. He looked at me fully and I arched an eyebrow at him, letting him ask whatever he wanted.

"Bella... there's something I need to talk to you about." He started.

"Go ahead." I prompted.

"I don't want to take this slow."

Oh, and that was the cue that he was signaling to me. He wanted to get me done and over with so that he could move on to other girls. Like I said, I would be his perfect girl, but honestly, what was his definition of what his perfect girl would be like?

Not knowing what to say for now, I just shrugged to allow myself some time to think. "Okay."

"I know where to go for a date, I think." He changed the subject. "Let's just go to Central Park."

"Well that's lovely," I nodded. Inside, I was clearly impressed. With his choice of place, I could have mistaken him for a man who just came out of a long-distance relationship. I thought that he was going to take me to a nightclub.

The rest of the drive was quiet, but it wasn't uncomfortable like I thought it would. My mind kept thinking about what he would love in a girl. I couldn't deny that she would have to be attractive, but maybe he'd like someone who's intelligent and worth the chase. I wasn't sure, but nonetheless, I was going to see how long he could last.

We came to a stop when we arrived at the park and I left my bag inside his car. He held out his hand at me and I took it. I was the one holding it tightly now.

"So this is our first official date, huh?" I asked, smiling a little. There wasn't a lot of people around since it was nighttime.

"I guess so," he replied, his fingers threading with mine. "How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-five this year. I just turned two months ago on September thirteen." I told him.

"I'm twenty-nine. My birthday's June twentieth. So before I've even met you, what was your life like?"

I grimaced. "My life... actually, I've always kind of grown up under the spotlight. My grandmother was a famous actress and my dad's a director. My mom's an actress as well, but I didn't really want to be in the entertainment industry. I grew up in L.A. until I went to college in the UK."

He frowned. "UK? Why there?"

"I just needed a break from everyone, so I decided to go as far as I could to the University of St. Andrews in Scotland to get a degree in journalism. I could choose whether I wanted to stay back there for Christmas, but I'd always miss my family so I'd go back to L.A. Now that I've moved to New York, they usually come to my apartment during Christmas to see the ball drop on New Year's." I told him. "I immediately got the job as a columnist at Marie Claire three years ago and got promoted to editor this year. I still contribute my articles to the magazine, though."

"I grew up in Chicago and I have an older brother. My father's the CEO and founder of Cullen Enterprises while my mother's an architect. I went to Yale to get a degree in journalism and my father's friend who's the current editor-at-large of Time magazine got me a job. I'm free from any responsibilities since my brother is supposed to be in charge of my dad's company, so I can pursue whatever I want to do." He said.

"So you've got contacts? That's cool." I nodded, my eyebrows raised.

"My parents always told me to attend whatever social event I could. They say it helps to build strong relationships in business." He replied. "Being a daughter of a director and an actress, I'm pretty sure you've also got contacts."

"Yeah, I do but I barely use them. It's weird when I get calls from directors saying that they're offering a lead role and I always turn them down. I'm not an actress, and I don't really enjoy the whole filmmaking process like my parents do. I followed them to their sets when I was kid, and I found everything too complicated for me." I told him.

He didn't have anything to say to that, so we enjoyed the comfortable silence as we surrounded ourselves with the dark trees and dim sidewalk lights.

I felt Edward's hand squeeze mine and I looked at him, a questioning look on my face. He nodded to the side where there wasn't a path. "I want to show you something."

"What is it?" I asked.

He pulled me to the grass and we walked to the trees. As we approached a tree, he looked me in the eyes.

"I already said I don't want to take this slow," he breathed. His hands were on my face as I moved to the trunk of the tree.

"Edward," I responded, but even I was charmed by him. He really was something even though he was a player, but I could resist him. Like I said, I'd be what he wants in a girl and see how long he could last with me.

I looked away and took a deep breath. I then looked back at him and he leaned in for a kiss, which for once, I didn't reject.

I felt his lips mould against mine and I kissed him back, my fingers threading in his bronze hair. He tasted like mint and scotch, which was a fairly addictive taste. He deepened the kiss and I returned back the favor, but when he was kissing my jaw, I pulled away.

"Not so fast," I panted. "It's just the first date."

"But I want you so badly," he purred in my ear. He was like the devil in disguise.

"No," I firmly replied. I needed to see how long he would last. I was going to write a report of our first date by the time I get back home. Perhaps a little special edition for my part of the column would be nice for the next issue.

He tensed up when I felt his phone vibrate in his pockets. Smirking, I moved away from the tree and went back to the footpath. He was busy typing away behind me with an annoyed look on his face. When a second message came along, his face changed and he smiled widely. Honestly, I didn't want to know what kind of text he received to get a smile back on his face. It was probably by the other girl he was texting. I decided that I would play dumb whenever he texted someone until the end of the month.

I faked a yawn. "I really should go back home now. I'm tired and I have an early meeting tomorrow."

He looked up from his phone momentarily and responded with an "okay" before finally keeping it in his pockets again. He took my hand again and we went back to his car in silence.

This date was definitely something to write about.

xx

"Miss Swan?" Rosalie Hale, my boss and the main editor-in-chief, called.

It was finally the next day and the editors just finished a meeting on how the next issue would be like. Everyone had left, and I was grabbing at my ring file to go back to my office when she called.

I looked up from my file. She was still seated at the end of the table like the boss she was. "Yes, Ms Hale?"

"I heard about how your articles are taking interesting turns," she said before pointing her fountain pen to the closest seat next to her. "Sit."

I complied and sat next to her. Looking at her, she gave me an expression that gave nothing away. "What is it?"

"Your... social experiments are causing the whole office something to talk about, and I'm really interested. So far, you've got two experimental relationships that had happened, is that right?" She asked.

"Well... yes." I replied. "My second one just ended, and I'm currently at my third one, actually."

She nodded, her eyebrows raised. "What type of guy is he?"

"A player."

"Oh, Bella..." She sighed. "Take care, then. They play with women's feelings a lot."

"Yeah, well I know that. These are all experimental, so I'm not putting any feelings in."

She pursed her lips, looking down. "Bella, you shouldn't actually be doing this. I know that you're doing these experiments for the readers, but this is mixing your personal life with your work too much. I always tell all of you to put in some of your personal experiences into articles, but there are limits. For one, you are leading men on without feelings but maybe when you're in an experimental relationship with one of those dangerous types, you might be caught under their spell by accident and get hurt. These type of men are dangerous. I don't want to see you hurt by it, but maybe you might hurt the other party as well which is what I fear."

Me hurting Edward? Was that even real? Inwardly, I rolled my eyes due to how ridiculous it sounded. "Noted," I told her. "Anyways, London Fashion Week's almost here. Be safe on your trip."

I stood up and she stood up as well, getting ready to go off. "Thanks. I'll see you around." She smiled brightly and left the meeting room before I even did.

I was still a little skeptical about what she had told me. Yes, there were chances of me getting hurt, but the chances of Edward getting hurt by me was very low.

"Whatever," I muttered to myself and left the room for my office.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Oh hello there. Ugh, my head aches, but I'll survive. Enjoy your little dose of Blank Space, though. Anyways, anyone managed to catch Taylor's performance for the song on the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show? I fangirled too hard, probably. I always do. She looks so gorgeous, ugh.**

**xx**

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><p><em>"Grab your passport and my hand— I can make the bad guys good for the weekend."<em>

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><p>It's been a few weeks ever since that first date, and I think I got to know him a little more better but unfortunately for him, that didn't change what I thought of him.<p>

He was very determined and inspired when I went to visit him at his office for lunch as he was busy playing his recent interviews with important people on tapes and writing furiously on his laptop. I was just sitting on his lap, reading his very raw and unedited article, but it was nothing short of inspiring and out of this world. I loved it, and that was the very first article I had read written by him.

"So what do you think?" He asked, leaning back into his leather chair. I adjusted myself on his lap, moving forward to read it all.

To say that I was speechless was an understatement, and I just looked at him after I finished it. I hated to admit it, but he was a better writer than me. He gave me a look that told me he was still waiting for my thoughts.

I just gave him a kiss on his lips and smiled.

He looked at me, stunned. "What?"

"I really love it," I whispered, then gave him another kiss. This time, he reciprocated and started to kiss away from my lips, down my jaw and he gave open-mouthed kisses down my neck. He slid my thick strap off my left shoulder and kissed the bare skin there when my cellphone started ringing. I froze, but he continued to kiss me sensually.

"Edward, I have to answer a call."

"No," he purred. "You don't have to."

I check my phone and my eyes widened in shock. "Edward, I really need to. It's my boss!" I exclaimed urgently and stood up from his lap, adjusting my strap and picking up the phone.

"Ms. Hale?"

"Miss Swan, I know that it's lunchtime, but I need to see you now." Rosalie told me.

"Wh–what?" I stuttered. "Why?"

"It's something important. Finish up whatever you're having now and then come to my office as soon as you can." She urged. "I'll see you later."

"I... I'll see you later." I frowned, then looked back at Edward who, from his expression, obviously heard the whole conversation. It was strange that he had a worried look on his face, so I walked back over to him.

"You need to go back ay-sap?" He asked, his hand rubbing up and down my bare arm.

"Yeah... although I'm really curious about what she's going to tell me." I said.

And just with that little smirk on his face, the atmosphere changed. "At least she said to finish up whatever you're having now," he pulled me by the waist and I fell on his lap. With that, his mouth dominated over mine and all of my worries were forgotten for that moment. Oh well, even maybe Rosalie could wait a little. Maybe just fifteen minutes?

xx

Rosalie didn't look so good the moment I entered her upstairs office.

She was pale and even her makeup couldn't cover that up. Her eyes were bloodshot and her voice was hoarse when she opened her mouth.

"Bella," she started, "as you know, London Fashion Week is nearing and I feel so sick that I don't think I can even make it for this weekend's flight. I'm putting you in charge of our LFW team since I think this morning sickness thing is going to last for a month or so."

"What?" I blinked as I stared at her blankly.

She sighed. "Okay, I don't want you to tell the rest but I'm pregnant after trying for a month or so. Unfortunately, my morning sickness is much worse than I had expected. I need you to go for all my preparation meetings for LFW since it's, as expected, one of the most anticipated weeks in the fashion world."

I arched an eyebrow as I opened and closed my mouth, not sure what to say. "Why me? I'm not even in charge of any fashion column—"

"But when you contribute articles for our fashion columns, it's outstanding and frankly much better than that little bitch, Lauren Mallory's." Rosalie interrupted. "You were given two choices on which column you wanted to be in charge of when I promoted you to editor. I was disappointed that you didn't pick our _Runway_ column, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt since the _Love & Sex_ column and the _Runway_ column were the two that you contributed the most. Unfortunately, I had to promote Mallory to fill in the column you didn't pick since she was the second best by a wide margin.

"I don't trust her to do my job since I know how she is like in the office and outside of it. If I were to not make this decision and go for LFW, can you imagine the horror of me hurling on the polished laquer runway of a Chanel Autumn/Winter show next to Karl Lagerfeld?" She gasped as her eyes widened, grasping at her chest as she imagined that happening. "I think that I'd rather die in a food poisoning in last season's Charlotte Olympia's rather than do that."

"A total social and fashion suicide," I agreed, sighing. "Alright, I'll take this for your sake. You owe me, Rose."

She smiled gratefully. "I'll get you all of next season's Burberry resort collection before it even hits stores." She promised.

"Uh, make that the best Elie Saab gown you can find from next season's collection. You may never know when I could find a use for it." I replied. "Anything else?"

"You'll have two tickets to London on your desk when you go back to your office. Oh, and you look a little flushed." She noted.

"Uh, I went to visit my, uhm, _boyfriend_ during lunch break just now." I said, hoping that would summarize everything she was wondering about.

She smiled a little wider. "Boyfriend, as in _social experiment number three_?"

"I guess you can call him that." I shrugged.

"Take a couple of minutes to cool down and probably try to hide the aftermath of the hot and heavy lunch break you had." She said. "Do you need my foundation powder?"

I fanned myself a bit. "No... that's okay." I declined politely and took a deep breath.

"You look better now." Rosalie remarked.

"Well, thanks." I said. "By the way, congratulations on your pregnancy."

"The only thing I need congratulations for is for my ability to still fit into my La Perla lace bra." She heaved a sigh of relief as she leaned into her chair.

"You know what they say about pregnancy— it all just goes away once the baby comes." I told her before leaving her office.

xx

Finally settling down into my office after that short meet with Rosalie, I found the two tickets to London that she was saying with a handwritten note by her.

_Two tickets— one for you, and another for social experiment no. 3. Don't get caught up in his expensive cologne while on the trip. Take this as an opportunity to see if he can step away from those tempting English sirens there._

_xox,_

_Rosalie Hale_

I raised my eyebrows at the note. I couldn't believe she'd actually make me bring Edward on this trip— she owed me more than an Elie Saab gown now. Probably those Harry Winston earrings I'd been eyeing online or giving me the honor of naming her firstborn.

I brought my office telephone closer to me as I dialed Edward's number. He immediately picked it up and I was greeted by his sultry, smooth voice.

"Cullen."

"Edward, it's me." I said.

"My beautiful and intelligent temptress, what did I do to get this call? Or maybe you'd like to recall with me just what happened right in this office of mine?" He said, and the memory of the taste of mint and scotch washing over my mouth from his mouth made me reach for the air conditioning remote to lower down the temperature.

"Gah, and you _always_ know what to say when I call." I chuckled. "Actually, I wasn't thinking of going back to what happened earlier, but I have two airplane tickets to London for next weekend in my hand right now."

"What for?" He asked.

"My boss isn't feeling well and doesn't think she can make it for London Fashion Week next week. There's a spare ticket and I was wondering if you can come." I replied.

"Well...," he hesitated. "Actually, I have a couple of assignments I need to do in South Africa and my flight's next Wednesday, so I don't think I can make it."

"Oh come on, please?" I begged. "I'm making my extremely pouty face right now that you can't resist."

"I don't know," he sighed.

"Okay, I've got a suggestion. I know that _Time_ doesn't always cover fashion icons, but I think I can set up a couple of interviews with some important people in the fashion industry to cover for those South Africa assignments that can be given to someone else. Would you consider that suggestion?" I bit my lip, nervous about his answer. "We'll be back in New York by the weekend after we arrive, I swear."

"Fine, I'll go to London with you. I'll talk to someone else to take over the S.A. assignments." He finally said.

A huge smirk plastered itself on my face. "Great. You're the best, Cullen. I'll make it up to you somehow."

He laughed a deep laugh before I hung up on him. Time to raise the bar.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Whoops. Well, guess who hadn't updated for a long time. Me! Don't bash me up, but I've been really busy and trying to juggle between things in school and at home and all the things my fandoms have been in. Sigh. **

**xx**

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><p><em>"So it's gonna be forever, or it's gonna go down in flames. You can tell me when it's over— if the high was worth the pain."<em>

* * *

><p>"Have you ever been to London before?" Edward asked when the plane was descending. The plane was below the clouds and I observed the familiar skyline and the other planes that had landed at the airport.<p>

"Every summer vacation during college, with my best of friends." I replied. "It's just an hour flight away from Scotland. We'd all go shopping and grab a few drinks. It's been a long three years since I've been here."

He smiled a small smile as he looked down, his mind far away. "How were you like when you were in college?"

I pursed my lips, my eyebrows scrunched up together as I recollected my memories back in the University of St. Andrew's. "All I did was study and study, until I couldn't do that anymore and on the day before finals would start, I would be the one getting drunk but having all the highest scores in tests." I told him.

"I remember there was a time that my friend dared me to speak in the local accent for a month straight. Whenever my parents called me, they'd think I was someone else," I chuckled at the memory. "Eventually, at the end of the dare, I got so used to the accent that I sounded like a natural. Whenever I spoke, everyone wouldn't believe I was actually American since I kept talking with a Scottish accent. I totally forgot how to speak normally and it took me nearly four months to gain back my American accent."

He kissed my cheek, laughing out loud. "I wish I was there to witness everything." He murmured in my ear.

"Luckily, you weren't," I said. "You wouldn't spare me a moment to forget about it if you'd been there."

The airplane landed smoothly on the runway and we grabbed our bags, heading out of the plane and breathing in the London air that I had missed.

There was a private car that picked us up to our hotel, and I took in the sights and sounds of England. We passed by the London Eye and the London Bridge, and the Palace of Westminister before arriving at our hotel— the Corinthia Hotel.

Our bags were picked up by the bellboy as I stood at the counter, checking in.

"Reservations under Marie Claire, please." I said.

"Wait a minute, ma'am," the lady behind the counter told me as she busily typed on the computer. "Okay ma'am, if you could just sign here then you can get the keys to the suite."

I complied and Edward finally stood beside me. I watched as the lady widened her eyes at the sight of him and flushed, hiding her face. I inwardly rolled my eyes but I couldn't help but smile a little. How Edward could affect even the British ladies.

The strange thing was, Edward was totally oblivious to it. Usually, he'd immediately take note of that and use it to his advantage. Nowadays… he seemed to be acting the opposite.

As soon as I got the keys, I passed it to Edward and told him to wait for me at the elevators.

"He's a goodlooking chap, isn't he?" I commented to the lady when he left.

She stared at me blankly and opened her mouth, about to utter an apology when I waved her off.

"That's alright. I'm used to the attention he gets from women. You aren't the first one, you know." I told her, smiling.

"You're very lucky." She stuttered, looking down.

"I'll have to see about that," I responded before catching up with Edward at the lift.

Edward opened the door to the suite when we arrived at the floor we were assigned to and I raised an eyebrow at the interior of the place.

There was a huge HD television with Italian leather ottomans, and a luxury bar stocked up with the best of liquors. The ceilings were high, and the bathroom was outrageous with Italian marble counters and a built-in mini-television. The balcony had a view of Trafalgar Square, Nelson's column and the National Gallery.

"I didn't know Rosalie would ever need this just for a week all to herself during a business trip," I remarked, still looking around the area.

"The hotel doesn't call this the Trafalgar Suite for nothing," Edward murmured in response, glancing out of the balcony. "It's hit all the right notes for me."

He walked to the luxury bar and poured himself some of the finest scotch into his glass before entering the master bedroom. He licked his lips slowly before taking a sip of the strong alcohol in his hand. "At least, for us, there's something that we can fully use in this suite."

I walked over to see what he was referring to and I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, we sure will." I sat down on the soft king-sized bed and tapped my fingers rhythmically on the Egyptian cotton sheets, crossing my legs in a way that a tempting seductress would do. I cocked an eyebrow. "Look at me; I'm in a black Carolina Herrera lace dress on an expensive bed in London. Have I already mentioned that I'm in Carolina Herrera? And black lace?"

"I think you have." He smirked, putting down his scotch at the small table at the side of the door as he approached me.

"Whoop!" I yelled joyfully. "I'm in London and I'm finally getting mindblowing sex here!"

He bursted out laughing as he kicked off his shoes and socks, grabbing me by the waist. He peppered kisses down my bare neck, but I could still feel him smiling in humor at my ridiculous statement.

xx

I twirled my hair up as I looked at myself in the mirror. I was in a black floral Burberry London shift dress that ended right below my knees, with a pair of black python-skin heels at my feet from the same designer. I glided my bright pink lipstick across my lips when Edward called.

"Bella?" He said from the family room. "The first show's in an hour."

"We'll make it," I called back. "Rosalie would never book a hotel that isn't close to the venue for the first show anyways."

After I applied my eyeshadow, I grabbed my red trenchcoat and black bag. We quickly went down and entered the private car that was waiting for us to drive us to our destination. Edward got out of the car first, holding his hand out to me to help me out of the car.

"Where's Lauren?" I asked when I was in front of the Somerset House, where the Fashion Week was held. I was on the lookout for Lauren Mallory, my fellow colleague. We weren't on the best terms, but we weren't exactly on the worst either. She was the only person that was going to come with me for the fashion showcases today, since the rest of the team decided to catch the rest of the shows that we both couldn't since the times lots for them clashed.

"To your right," I heard a familiar but nasally voice beside me and I turned, seeing her cropped blond hair swept to the side while she wore combat boots and a dress that ended mid-thigh. She held a Chanel clutch in her hand.

She was one of the types where she was nice to look at, but once she opens her mouth, every expectation of how she would sound like would shatter— immediately. Her behavior wasn't as attractive either, but she was pretty decent for an editor.

"Lauren, you're finally here!" I gushed, trying to mask my annoyance with some faux enthusiasm. "Come now, let's get inside. I can't wait to see the Swarovski Atelier show."

"Oh yes," she responded, but her eyes were on Edward whose arm was around my waist. She stared as if he was something to eat. "I'm sure it'd be lovely to look at."

Throughout the shows, I sat between Lauren & Edward, much to Lauren's dismay. Even when I took bathroom breaks or went to mingle with others that were sitting at the front row, Edward wasn't interested in Lauren for one but. He didn't pay much attention to her, and gave polite smiles at her.

Edward was definitely changing, and that was something I wasn't expecting. Was it because he had someone to keep his mind off things? It most definitely wasn't me, even though he was giving me all those looks of love or whatever they would call it, but he was probably thinking of someone else anyways.

Well, good for him. He had someone else to think of. Tomorrow would be our first month anniversary, and it would be the very first day I'd be the crazed bitch of a girlfriend. Somehow, I hoped that he would put up with me and pass my test. I had been putting up with him and his ladies waiting on the sidelines for him when I was gone.

xx

"And here's to lasting even a month together," Edward raised his wine glass towards me.

"Well, nearly a month. Tomorrow's our anniversary, sweetheart." I corrected, but clinked our glasses together anyways. I adjusted myself in my seat and took a sip of the blood red wine as I looked at him in the eyes.

We were at The Ledbury, a fancy little restaurant that Edward decided to treat me at after the whole schedule of shows we had to watch and critique. The last show ended at ten at night, which would usually mean that the restaurant would have been closed by now, but Edward pretty much bought the restaurant for two hours just for this occasion. Did he treat all the ladies he fancied like this? Luxurious dinners and extravagant gifts sent to their doorsteps? I wasn't sure, but I was obviously going to start digging into that the next day when I'd finally lose a little of the prim and proper Bella.

"Anniversary," he tested the word out from his mouth, then smirked a little. "I never thought I'd even hear that word from my mouth."

"Well, you just did," I joked, thinking of how many girls he'd have a one-month anniversary with while being with another. I shook those thoughts away. Those would be for tomorrow, when the bezerk side of me would appear right before his very eyes.

The very first experimental boyfriend who didn't really care much about anything including me suddenly became scared the moment he saw that side of me on our first-month anniversary, that he broke up with me immediately. Jacob, who was my second, had managed to put up with me for nine weeks straight— nearly two months before we broke it off.

What would I do once I'd finally find a reason to fight? Tear his clothes up? Nah, they're too precious for me to tear up since they're all D&G and Gucci and Dior. Look through his cellphone? Seemed like a pretty good thing to do if I wanted to find a reason to fight, but this was after that. Throw him out of the suite? Yep, now that was perfect.


End file.
